Girls track & field: Taking the next step

Several girls track programs look to build on indoor success

At the indoor track & field state championship meet, there were several Montgomery County girls teams that flirted with a title, but ultimately fell just short.

Clarksburg finished third in its first year competing as a Class 3A school. Northwest's dominance in the relays was not enough, as it finished second in Class 4A. And an upstart Damascus squad nearly shocked the state, but finished second by a single point in 3A.

But with a new season brings new hope, and all of those teams are using the so-close-but-yet-so-far mentality as motivation for the outdoor track & field season.

Damascus was unheralded entering the indoor state meet. The Swarmin' Hornets had finished third at the county meet behind Churchill and Northwest. But with overall relay strength and budding stars in juniors Alex Carroll and Cassandra Clayborne, the Hornets again field a strong squad for outdoor.

"Nobody was talking about us, but if you look at the times, we were up there as far as times for states," said Damascus sprints coach Eldrid Cason. "That's our No. 1 priority this season, getting the girls to that next step."

Churchill is another team that is balanced up and down the lineup, and is a perennial contender at the county championships. Senior Katie Wolf, who recently signed to run at Penn State University, leads the way in the sprinting events. With Maryam Fikri anchoring the distance events, the Bulldogs have contenders in most relays, sprints and distance races; they took the county championships in indoor and finished fifth at states.

However, one team in the county has a stranglehold on all the relays: Northwest. The Jaguars swept all three relay races at the state meet, and look to carry that momentum in to the outdoor season.

Led by wunderkind Olivia Exponé, who has been named the Gazette Athlete of the Year in every season she has been eligible, there is more to the Jaguars that meets the eye. They are a deep team, with solid sprinters like India Knight, as well as mid-distance and distance specialists Britt Eckerstrom and Alyssa Henshaw.

Clarksburg had a strong showing at the indoor states, including two individual state championships. In the 1,600-meter run, freshman Abbey Daley stole the show, while steady senior Lauren Sumner took the 800, leading the Coyotes a third-place finish the first time running as a 3A squad. Daley will look to compete for points in the 3,200 as well, giving Clarksburg a chance to sweep all three distance races at staes.

With all of the talent in the county, Wootton has quietly but powerfully built a strong balanced squad, perhaps with the best all-around ability in the county.

"I believe that we have a very balanced team across the board," Wootton head coach Kellie Redmond said. "I think people do underestimate us a little bit, but I fully expect us to be among the best in the county."

Neither Jessie Rubin nor Andrea Maxwell ran during indoor, taking a break from competition but not from training, and look to bolster a team heavy with sprint and hurdling ability.

Casey Dowling and Grace Corbett have been reliant in their short time at Wootton, while freshman newcomer Gwen Shaw impressed at indoor states, and is another person Redmond will count on for points.

"We're not trying to be successful for a year for two," Redmond said, "but we're trying to build a program that contends every year."